The Stellenbosch University Choir is comprised of students from various academic backgrounds. The Matie Choir is the oldest and most celebrated choir in South Africa, founded in 1936 by William Morris. After him, various conductors established the ensemble as an influential South African choir: Gawie Cillié (1940-1954), Philip MacLachlan (1955-1976), Johan de Villiers (1977-1984), Acama Fick (1985-1992) and Sonja van der Walt (1993-2002). André van der Merwe has been the choir master since 2003.​​​

Achievements of the choir include the following:​

At the 2010 World Choir Games in Shaoxing, China, the choir competed in the categories for Musica Contemporanea and Mixed Choirs and won both categories.

At the World Choir Games in Cincinnati in 2012, the choir won the champion categories for Mixed Choirs and Musica Sacra.

At the World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia, in 2014, the choir won all three of their competition categories, achieving the highest mark in the history of the competition with 99%.

At the World Choir Games in Sochi, Russia, in 2016, the choir once again won all three of their competition categories, achieving the highest mark in the competition with 96%.

At the 2018 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales, the choir competed in the categories for Open, Youth, and Mixed Choirs and won all three categories.

Currently the US Choir is ranked number 1 on the Interkultur World Ranking List of the top 1000 international choirs.​